I was born in the north of England in 1960, the younger of 2 girls. I was educated at Bolton School and King James College, Henley-on-Thames. I studied English and Education at Exeter University.
Due to my husband’s work postings I have had the opportunity to teach in different schools around the world. The bulk of my work has been in early years education, and in special needs education. I have always felt passionately that every child’s right to an education should be granted and have been inspired by the great practice I have seen in so many diverse classroom settings.
In 2013 we were extremely lucky to be posted to Fiji. I took on a short-term advisory role at the International School of Suva, and through my work there I heard about the Mobile Kindy organisation. A friend introduced me to Ms Analesi and I was immediately inspired by her vision and dedication. What impressed me the most was that she had identified a need and had used whatever resources she had to hand to go straight in and start making a difference. I visited several of the Mobile Kindy sites and was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the children attending the classes and the learning that was taking place, often in the most basic of environments.
I started to become involved on a regular basis with helping to provide transport, healthy food and resources. The more often I attended the classes the more convinced I was that this initiative was making a huge difference to the lives of the children. Over the 4 years I was in Fiji I saw the progression of many of the children going up into their Primary schools. Their kindergarten experience had made them grow to such an extent that their literacy, numeracy and English language skills were more than ready to take on the challenges of Class 1. Not only this, but also their social, emotional and physical skills had been greatly enhanced. The boost to their all-round development ensured that they had a positive start to their school lives and they had the confidence and desire to succeed.
Seeing the direct impact of the Mobile Kindy on the lives of the children and, by extension, the lives of the people in their communities, is a huge motivation to continue and extend the work of the organisation. I wish the Mobile Kindy every success in the future with their remarkable endeavor.